Dark Angel
by Darkness carrier
Summary: AU!YYHIYxover: They say opposites attract but they never mentioned the sparks of fire two hearts of ice could feel as they slowly mended each other... KagomeHiei
1. Prologue: Power unlocked

Dark: Hi peoples! I'm back! With a new story too. Just a heads up for Of Elves and Demon Mikos, I'm kinda stuck because… well I forgot where they were supposed to go to next… _sweatdrops_ so until someone reminds me I don't think I'll be able to update anytime soon.

Dark: Anyways this is a brand new story and the idea is not mine. A great authoress (also a very good friend of mine now) by the pen name of **_spice of Inu-yasha_** is the true mother (I know I'm crazy… don't provoke me) of this fabulous story and frankly, she is one of **_the_** best crossover authoresses on fanfiction. So obviously this story is dedicated and credited to her.

Disclaimer:_ ransacks couch and brings arm back_ Oh my god! I FOUND A PENNY! THAT MEANS…_ pauses to think_ I HAVE A PENNY TO BUY INUYASHA AND YU YU HAKUSHO! What! What do you mean it's not enough! It's a penny! (I don't own the two shows don't kill me.)

Disclaimer number two: I don't own the first three chapters – they all belong to the great 'spice of inu-yasha' (Read her fics!)

Credit: This story is one of **spice of Inu-yasha**'s originals, and I am flattered that she gave it to me.

Dedication: This fic is dedicated to **spice of Inu-yasha** – a great authoress and an even better person/friend.

**Warning: This is an AU fic meaning Alternative Universe. So if you flame me about how the characters are out of… well character then I will not be nice at all, in fact I probably will bite you.  
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Dark Angel Chapter one: Prologue

Blood, it was all she saw. A power pumped through her veins like liquid fire, causing her to go crazy, sending her into a rage. Blinding anger was all she felt, it was all she knew. The one word echoed in her mind, telling her to release her frustrations before she exploded. 'Kill' the strange voice whispered over and over again.

She needed to release the surging power within; it was consuming her. The only way she knew how was by listening to the voice that kept telling her to kill, and so she did. The sensation was unknown to her, new; she didn't know how to handle the sudden burst of energy and hatred within her, the sudden thirst for blood.

So she killed blindly, not seeing anyone or anything. Friend or foe no longer existed in her vocabulary, she couldn't decipher the two, or she didn't care to. All she knew was that she was angry, she wanted revenge, she wanted to cause pain.

The bloody image she created would make the coldest of hearts weep at the blood spill. Body after body, a canvas of hatred, anger, revenge, sorrow, and an over consuming thirst for blood is what she created. 'Slice.' another added to the horrid drawings of death.

"Please, stop this…" the single survivor of her fury pleaded, whimpering on the ground shaking like a leaf in a storm. She looked at him with disgust; he was the one who started it all.

Her once brown cinnamon eyes full of innocents, now shown with a layer of blue and red mixed together as she bore down at him. No white linings of her eyes could be distinguished; only a blood red was surging through them. She stared at him with hate, coldness, no hint of pity or mercy, no hint of remorse.

"Did you stop for my mother, for my father, and for my little brother? Did you stop for me?" she spoke with such hatred it caused the youkai to flinch. The coldness in her voice could send shivers up the bravest of people.

Her raven black hair, now lined with blue and red streaks, blew silently in the wind. Her seven-year-old body still managed to tower over the cowering form of the man shaking on the ground pleading for mercy from the monster he created. She had become a class A youkai after all, he was merely a class C.

They had locked her in a cage, like some type of wild animal; she was helpless then, but no longer.

They had taken her whole family and put them in separate cages. Her baby brother, her loving mother, and her caring father. One by one was slaughtered in front of the remaining family members, until only one remained, herself.

They had taken her, they were preparing to kill her as well, and no hint of remorse shone through their eye's either. They tortured her, taunted her, and reminded her of how her family screamed until they decided to end their worthless lives, as they called it.

It was then that blood seeped through the whites of her eyes; rage surged through her living form as power flowed through her veins like a drug. An over consuming madness took over her, causing her to slash through the metal bars like paper. She had escaped.

She began to go on a killing spree, her newfound ice and fire abilities were unleashing itself just to watch them scream in terror. They had messed with the wrong type of youkai, now they were paying the price.

Now she was left with the youkai, no monster, which had ordered her family to be killed. It wasn't their fault they fell in love, a forbidden love, fate just made it that way.

"Please…I am your uncle Kagome!" the quivering form pleaded once more, fear and terror shining through the once amused eyes of her family's killer.

"You are nothing!" she spat at him, venom lacing her words.

Without further delay, Kagome lit him on fire, causing him to have a slow and painful death so he could feel what she did when he slaughtered her family. It was her turn to fix him with a cold amused stare as she watched him in satisfaction.

"Know the pain in which you put me through. Die with terror and fright just like my soul has done. Remember your past, a place in where your innocents used to roam. Die with ever consuming hatred." Kagome spoke, her voice a deadly tone as she watched the monster wither away to ashes in the fire with her last words to take with him.

Her revenge was fulfilled, but at the price of her innocence. The white leaked back into her eyes as she fell onto her knees, her body quaking. The rage that acted more like a drug had resided back into the depths of her body; however the power it held remained.

With wide eye's Kagome looked around, not believing that the flashes of memories of recent events were indeed true. She looked at her hands; blood covered them. It covered her in tire being, a constant reminder of her sins.

One word echoed in her mind, 'forbidden.' She was not meant to be on this world. Was it really a sin to fall in love? Did your family die for feeling such emotions? Is that what caused all the bloodshed, all the hatred, and all the sorrow to happen? If so, then she would not allow herself to be with anyone.

"I am forbidden…"

………………………………………………..

Dark: Wasn't it awesome? She is such a fantastic author (modest too.) It's a shame that she's not going to continue this story, but I'll do my very best in filling her shoes. The next two chapters are coming up (she written them all) soon, so please leave a review. And yes this is an Alternative Universe fic so don't flame. I don't like flames and honestly neither does she.

Dark: Now that's out of the way… REVIEW! _Points to review and go button below_ PRESS IT AND REVIEW!


	2. I stand alone

**Dark:** Hi. I know… quite a shock to see me update so soon right? Well the think is the first three chapters had already been written out. This story WAS from **_spice of inu-yasha_** (Prologue, chapter one and chapter two) so it's not much of a miracle… lol. Anyways go on and read the story!

Disclaimer: _Bites lawyers_ Back! Back, I say! _Wails when they take away my precious babies. _Clever, they say, but not clever enough. _They take away my plushies of characters where I trapped the souls of the poor fictional people_ I never get to have any fun… (no I don't own them)

Credit: It was though up and created by the very best… **_spice of inu-yasha!_**

**Dedication: **To **spice of inu-yasha** – you're the greatest gal! Lol.

**Dark Angel Chapter One: I Stand Alone**

Kagome walked around in the city lit with streetlamps, avoiding all the light she possibly could. She didn't know how she got here, only where she was. It had been eight years since her soul was shattered, eight long years of wondering aimlessly around. She was now fifteen, a woman child, as the demons called it.

She had kept to the shadows in order to survive, if no one knew she existed then no one could hunt her down. Darkness was her best and only friend. The only time she came into the light was so that she could learn in a place humans called 'school'.

All she knew of this strange world was that there was nothing but humans roaming about and the occasional youkai. She assumed it was the fabled human world that she heard her mother talk about. Humans were such weak creatures; they let emotions run their lives. It only set them up for heartbreak or betrayal, death or destruction. Nothing good comes out of such things called, 'feelings'.

In the time of eight years, Kagome had trained. She trained herself so if something like before were to ever happen again, she would be ready and in control. It was all she did, train and train. That and go to the stupid thing called 'school'. It was all she could do.

It was on one training session though, that she discovered a new power. Miko powers. Her training was interrupted by a pretty strong demon almost a month after her family was slaughtered. It was when the strange demon had her cornered that a blast of purifying energy shot out from her hands and destroyed the demon.

So she was fire and ice, a forbidden birth, and also a miko, a forbidden law of both humans and demons. She was an outcast on either side, a lone miss birth that should never walk the earth. She could kill her own kind with powers of their worst enemy, miko or demon alike.

"I am an outcast and shall remain as such. There is no other like me." Kagome declared to the silent yet deadly night sky as she continued to wonder around.

"Hn, you know nothing of outcasts." Kagome halted in her tracks as she heard the words of a male demon. He dare say she knew nothing of what she was?

Kagome turned around to face the clueless demon, wanting to look at the fool who dared to insult her knowledge. She didn't bug people if they didn't bug her, but every now and then there was a poor sap that just didn't know better.

"And I suppose you do?" she shot back at the demon, taking in his appearance as she did so.

He was dressed in the same color of clothing as she. All black. He wore baggy black jeans and a black T-shirt to go with it. A white headband covered something of power while it went across some of his spiky black hair that had a white starburst near the middle of his forehead. He looked quite skilled, his body buff, his hand resting on the hilt of his sword incase the need to draw it presented itself. He to was studying her.

The only difference from her suit to his was that hers was like cat woman's, a skintight outfit that showed off every curve. She had her hair up in a pony tail to keep if from getting into her face so she could battle without distraction, her hand was now on the hilt of her sword incase this unknown demon decided to attack her.

The demon's crimson eyes narrowed in suspicion as he watched her, waiting for her to make any sudden movements. "As a matter of fact, I do." He spoke out, his voice not betraying any of his inner thoughts. He was really good…

Something about this conversation seemed pointless. 'We are arguing about who knew the knowledge of being an outcast, what in gods name kind of argument is that?' Kagome kept her inward sigh to herself; she was not going to get into a fight for something that stupid. She was disgusted with herself for even having this type of conversation, let alone getting into a physical fight over it.

"Good for you then." With that, Kagome jumped up onto the building roof, leaving the strange black demon to watch as she left him. "I do not argue over pointless things. If you wish to argue with me, let it be something of further importance." Kagome called over her shoulder before she sped away in the blink of an eye.

Hiei was walking around the city, enjoying the peaceful night where he didn't have to be bothered by Koenma. It was then that he felt it, a demon's presence that felt much like his own. Strange indeed it was, so he sped off to investigate.

His search brought him to the darkest parts of the city, a place he would normally go often but no one else would. It was odd that he would find a demon's aura similar to his in the very place that he loved to go.

It was then that he spotted her, looking at the night sky whispering to it in a sad voice, "I am an outcast and shall remain as such. There is no other like me." The demon said. Hiei snorted at this, probably another pathetic demon that was wallowing away in self-pity.

"Hn, you know nothing of outcasts." Hiei didn't know what possessed him to say that, but now that he did he wasn't about to back down. This got the demon's attention, for she slowly turned to face him. What he saw almost took his breath away.

Her bluish red eyes bore straight into him. Her long raven hair tied in a high ponytail with blue and red streaks blew softly in the wind. Her black skintight fighting suit showed off every curve of her well-conditioned body. She was gorgeous, and she was to be taken seriously.

"And I suppose you do?" her voice shot back at him, clearly she was displeased with him. Like he cared though, she may look nice, but he wasn't interested.

She was also taking in his appearance. This ticked him off; no one sized him up! He put his hand to the hilt of his sword and narrowed his eyes in suspicion towards her in warning.

He watched as her hand slowly went to the hilt of her sword as well, in case he decided to charge her. He kept his narrow gaze on her though, and decided to respond to her question, "As a matter of fact I do."

It was then that things got strange; he could see some type of inner battle in her eyes. She didn't really look like she wanted to fight him, and was weighing her options, could she not be as good of a fighter as he first thought? The question was squashed as a hint of disgust entered her face, "Good for you then." she then jumped to the roof.

He was going to go after her, comment on what a coward she was being, when her voice reached his ears, "I do not argue over pointless things. If you wish to argue with me, let it be something of further importance." He hated to admit it, but she was right. Before he could blink she was gone leaving him to stand alone in the alleyway.

"Baka youkai." Hiei mumbled to himself as he sped off down the street. Unknown to him a figure with bluish red eyes watched him go.

"What do you want toddler?" a very annoyed boy with slicked back black hair asked an equally annoyed child ruler.

The boy looked to be a tough fighter, and a punk as well. His blazing cinnamon eyes shone with annoyance, but it held a fighter's spirit. His body was well built, and it looked like nothing could surprise this young fifteen-year-old boy anymore.

A person who appeared to be only four years old turned around in a black chair glaring at the offending boy. He wore a blue hat with the words JR on the front of it along with a blue shirt and yellow-checkered pants. In his mouth was a pacifier. To the normal eye it looked like a simple baby toy, but to those with special abilities they could tell that the pacifier is where his powers lay.

"Yusuke! How many times do I have to tell you _not_ to call me a toddler!" the spirit ruler shouted, angry that Yusuke continued to ignore his demand.

Koenma, child ruler of the spirit world, shot him a glare before he started to explain his mission, "There is a demon out there I want you to investigate. We don't know her name, the only thing I want you guys to make sure is that she isn't dangerous. See what she wants here, if it is anything dangerous; capture her, which means you do not kill her.

You will be transferring schools so you can keep watch on her. I have no idea what she looks like; I only heard rumors in rumors from demons that a strange girl in black goes to a school called Shikon High who is incredibly strong and skilled.

We don't even know what type of youkai she is. That is also why I wish for you to find her, I want you guys to see how powerful she is and if she's a threat to the human world. You start at your new school tomorrow, Shikon High." Yusuke was now pissed, however, before he could say anything, a boy with orange hair in the style of Elvis shouted out his own protests.

"A girl! How can a girl be evil! I can't fight a girl! It's against my code!" the idiot bellowed, looking at the spirit ruler like he was crazy. The occupants of the room shook their heads before Yusuke knocked out the orange haired idiot.

"Kuwabara you dumb ass! How many times do I have to tell you about your code!" Yusuke yelled at his unconscious form. Shaking his head he turned to face the child ruler with his angry glare, "And you! I will NOT transfer into a school that doesn't have Keiko!"

Koenma simply rolled his eyes; he knew that much was obvious. He had made plans before all this that Keiko was to be transferred with them for he knew Yusuke would not go willingly without her. 'Teenagers…' was his annoyed thought as he looked over to Yusuke, a bored expression crossing his face.

"Don't worry Yusuke, Keiko has already been taken care of. She will be transferring with you guys. Hiei, I want you to go as well." At this, the indifferent fire-ice apparition shot a glare to the offending child ruler.

"Hn, I don't go to some stupid ningen school." Koenma rubbed his temples, he knew it was going to be difficult to get Hiei there; the demon was as stubborn as a mule.

"Hn, I am not." 'And he has that annoying habit to read peoples minds at the most annoying times…' Koenma thought annoyed, glaring at the stubborn demon.

"Hiei, perhaps you should go just this one time. You can try to take away Yusuke's reputation as the neighborhood thug." A strikingly handsome boy with red flaming hair and forest green eyes reasoned.

He looked gentle and calm, really polite. It was his eyes that gave him away, eyes of a warrior, the eyes of determination and cunning. He held the spirit of a silver fox demon, and the power of one to. Kurama was a demon to be reckoned with.

"Hn." Was all Hiei bothered to waste his breath saying. The others took that in translation of a yes.

"Well, that's all I have for you now so you best be off then! Botan!" Koenma called cheerfully, that went better then he had planned.

A girl with blue hair and bubble gum pink eyes entered the room, a perky smile planted on her face. "Yes Koenma sir!" she asked happily as she held her oar to one side, waiting for him to give her the order he wished to be carried out.

"Send these guys back to the human world." He requested cheerfully, which kind of freaked Botan out; he was never this cheerful. Yusuke always got him into a bad mood. She shrugged it off; maybe he took those happy pills she said he needed?

Nodding happily, she opened a portal and motioned for the others to step through. Yusuke shot Koenma one more glare before he entered the portal. Kurama lifted up Kuwabara who was still knocked out, and dragged him into the portal with him. Hiei simply walked through, as indifferent as ever.

"Good luck." Was the last thing Koenma said before the portal closed.

If things about this girl were true, then they would need it.

Kagome headed off to her usual school that she enrolled herself into. The reason she even bothered to do such a thing was so that she would be smart and able to make better battle plans. Also, she never wanted to be stupider then humans, if they learned math, she would. She was determined to learn everything and more that each race knew.

"Another boring day where guys gawk at me and girls cower away from me. Fun." Kagome talked to herself board.

She had already gained a reputation at this school, she was known as the Dark Angel. 'Humans and their stupid nicknames.' She thought annoyed, glancing around every once in a while to take in her surroundings.

It was then that she felt it. Something she never felt for a very long time. Spirit energy, lots of spirit energy, high demon energy was mixed with it to. Sure, she ran into the occasional youkai or low-level miko or priest, but never something as strong as this. 'What could they be doing here?' she wondered, her curiosity returning to her after a long time.

First there was that encounter with the dark but powerful mysterious youkai from last night. Now she was facing a whole group of powerful people that held the same demon's aura of the previous night. How interesting.

Shrugging it off, Kagome sped off to her first class. She would find out about the 'new meat' later on. If they wanted trouble, they would have to wait because she had her favorite class first, combat.

In this class she was allowed to kick people's asses without getting into trouble. It made going to school a little easier. She was able to get some raging power within her to loosen up a bit. However the practice was not there, humans weren't challenging enough to give her even the smallest type of practice. It was still fun to watch them go flying across the room though, especially the cocky newbies who think they can take her.

"So this is the place? Are you guys getting anything because I'm not?" Yusuke commented, annoyed that this mission might be a waste of time.

Kurama looked around, scanning for anything abnormal. "You know that youkai can hide their aura and scent, so it is possible that she is doing that." He came to the logical conclusion that it was most likely that. The other's nodded, accepting the answer for now.

Kuwabara was still fuming about having a case on a girl; it was rather annoying so the group was a little on edge. Every now and then Yusuke would bonk him on the head and yell at him. He would stay quiet for about two minutes before starting up again. It was going to be a long day…

"So these are the new guys? I wonder what Dark Angel will do to them if they challenge her in combat class today? That's assuming that they're in the same class as her…" a group of whispering children slowly walk by them; their heads low so the conversation they had would be kept secret.

However, they could not keep their voices low enough for the two demons of the group not to hear. Kurama stepped up to them, bowing politely as he asked the question that would be obvious to those who heard their conversation, "Who is this, 'Dark Angel' you speak of?"

The group looked at one another, before coming to a silent agreement. "Dark Angel is a girl dressed in black who can kick serious ass. I wouldn't mess with her if I were you. She may look like a weak Goth girl, but she's nothing of the sort!" the bell rang, cutting off any further explanation of this mysterious, 'Dark Angel' character.

"Do you guys think this 'Dark Angel' chick is the one were looking for?" Yusuke asked, turning to face the group as they headed towards the school building.

They all nodded their head, even Kuwabara did. This had to be the demon they were looking for, it was too much of a coincidence that they were looking for a powerful demon girl and a girl dressed in black ruled the school here. They had to be one in the same.

"I suppose we will find out soon enough. Koenma said he put us in the same classes as her." The group nodded in agreement, each one wanting to know just who this Dark Angel person was.

"All right! We have combat first! Wait, has any of you seen Keiko around?" Yusuke asked, looking about the playground in hopes of catching a glimpse of her.

"I heard she was sick from Koenma." Kurama replied, not wanting to explain further.

Yusuke eyed him warily; he was very protective when it came to Keiko. Any further explaining however was cut off when the tardy bell rang.

"Hn, wonderful, were late for are first class. This will get us into the good books." Hiei sarcastically said, not making any effort to go faster so they wouldn't be even later.

'Yup, this is going to be a long day…' Kurama thought sadly, already feeling the effects of strain from dealing with the immature spirit detective group.

Kagome leaned against the wall in the corner, daring anyone to challenge her. Her eyes held promise of a painful experience to those who approached her, a silent warning that the students fully took and respected.

Sure, she loved to fight, but fighting humans got boring after a while. It had been only ten minutes, the time she took to beat and destroy the cocky fighters, before she got bored of it all. So she waited, watched, and glared at anyone who even looked to have the thought of disrupting her. The teacher even took heed.

The only thing that was bugging her now, were the recent arrivers of the people with high spirit energy mixed with that of two demons. They were looking around the class, looking for something, or someone. She didn't like them one bit, there was something odd about them all just happening to go to this school that she was at. It bugged her.

The eyes of one of them fell on her, and he motioned the others in her direction. He had slicked back black hair and blazing brown eyes, like hers used to be except more hers was more innocent looking.

Kagome wasn't surprised to find the strange black demon of last night to indeed be in the group with them. She felt the familiar presence and knew he was near, she had the decency to mask her own.

What made her ticked off, however, was that they were all walking towards her, ignoring her silent but obvious warning. She had a feeling that she was the one they were looking for, but why? This thought disturbed her, she didn't want to be known or bugged, was that so much to ask for?

"Hey you! Want to spar?" Kagome's glare of the whole group changed to glaring at the offending boy who challenged her; the one with the slick back black hair. She knew she wasn't going to like him…

"Hn." Was all she bothered to waste her breath on. She didn't really want to fight, but she never turned down a challenge.

"Great, another Hiei…" she heard the boy mumble to himself as he got into a fighting stance, Kagome mimicked him with one of her own.

All ready a crowed had gathered to watch Dark Angel, as they called her, kick the butt of the poor unsuspecting new boy. Little did they know that 'Dark Angel' was a tad bit worried, she knew this boy wasn't going to be a walk in the park…

"Fight!" one person called from the crowed, and the spar began.

The boy was the first one to charge, Kagome waited patiently for him to make his attack. When she saw his right foot coming in for a swing, she quickly blocked it with one hand, she was testing his skill and strength.

He seemed momentarily stunned, but quickly regained himself. He tried to punch her in the face, she simply caught his fist, maybe she gave him to much credit? He seemed to only be getting madder, and with his angry growing, his spiritual power did as well.

He quickly pulled his fist out of her grasp, glaring at her for all he was worth; she could do meaner glares. Kagome looked him straight in the eye, reading his facial expressions for any hint to where he may attack next.

"Is that all you got?" Kagome taunted him; if she got him mad enough he may prove to be an actual challenge. At least she hoped he would, it would be nice to have a sparring partner.

He glared at her harder, contemplating his next move, "I'm just getting started!" he seethed while charging at her, his fist held high ready to punch. 'Can he make his attack anymore obvious?' Kagome thought a little annoyed that the boy was so predictable.

Ducking under his swing to her face, she dodged swiftly and fluently to the side, bringing her elbow down to his back. This caused him to go flying forward in the direction he was heading at a faster speed, which resulted in him crashing into the wall.

She could here him muttering curses under his breath while he whipped a bit of blood off the side of his lip. He did hit the wall pretty hard... 'And I thought this would be a challenge?' Kagome seethed, she was plane annoyed that her possible sparring partner was indeed a fool.

This time Kagome decided to go on the offensive; she figured this little match was indeed over. She was a bit caught off guard when his fist collided with her cheek, resulting in her skidding back a few feet.

"Impressive, you're the first one to actually hit me. Don't let it go to your head, I don't intend for it to happen again." Kagome warned while inwardly cursing herself for her lack of awareness. She could get killed if that were a real fight, she would not repeat her mistakes.

The strange boy just smirked, thinking that he had her beat with only one hit to the face. He once again got into a fighting stance; the smirk never left his face. 'It will when I punch it off.' Kagome thought amused as she to got into a fighting stance.

Not even waiting a millisecond, she charged him, not showing any indication to what or where she would attack. He was bewildered, trying to keep his eyes on her when she was moving so fast and swiftly.

Kagome appeared in front of him, really, just appeared. He was stunned; Kagome took his lack of movement to her advantage and punched him hard in the face. No one punched her and didn't pay for it.

He went flying across the gym into another wall, 'maybe I used a bit to much force.' Was Kagome's meek thought, she didn't really care. The boy fell to the ground, the wind knocked out of him. For sure he was finished, he had to be, it was a pretty hard blow.

If Kagome was surprised when he got up once again and situated himself into a fighter stance, she didn't show it. Then again, she never showed any kind of emotion, amused, anger, happiness, or sorrow. It was what she learned, emotions were your enemy, if you didn't feel anything, no one could hurt you.

"Man, you're strong then I gave your credit for." The boy had the gull to complement her, like she was just a weak girl that caught him off guard. She didn't let it go to her head though, she would teach him soon enough where his place lay.

Without another word or comment, Kagome charged him, catching him off-guard. She kicked him in the side, sending him flying once again to the other side of the gym. She didn't kick him hard enough that he would reach the wall however; instead he just landed on his side and skidded on the floor.

The boy was practically seething with anger now, Kagome could feel his spirit energy rising. 'I must end this soon; I cannot have him loosing control of his powers and showing them off to the whole school. It is forbidden that the human population knows about demons and spirit energies.'

With the thought planted in her mind, she charged once again before he had time to defend himself. The boy had just gotten up, only to find a sharp stinging sensation in the back of his neck before blackness overtook him.

'I will have to battle him outside of school to know his true power and skill.' Kagome thought as she studied his knocked out form. She had hit the pressure point in the back of his head causing him to black out. She knew that he was much better than this; she could see it in his eyes. She would not count this as a true battle with the boy until she fought him at full strength and capability.

"That was quite impressive…Dark Angel?" Kagome turned to look at the boy with red flaming hair and forest green eyes. He had spoken that god-forsaken nickname this school had given her.

"Hn." She didn't have to talk with anyone. It only lead to being closer with the person you were speaking to. She preferred that they didn't know her real name anyways.

The orange headed buffoon spoke next, "Oh great, a second Hiei!" he complained loudly, 'why did these strange boys constantly compare me to this 'Hiei' person?' Kagome thought annoyed while returning to her corner.

She decided to take this time to study the group, she was sure that the strange demon with black hair she met the other night would be a good challenge. Perhaps this was the 'Hiei" they kept referring to? She could care less; she just wanted a good sparring partner for once. It was easy to see that this boy had gone through hardships in the past, his eyes told her a story of great betrayal and heartbreak. His eyes were much like hers. His weakness was the fact that he thought he could never be beaten and took his enemies for granted at times. This would lead to his downfall if it hadn't already.

Before her mother died, she spoke of wisdom to her, trying to teach her at an early age the great things in life. One of such wisdom was that the eyes told stories of a person's past; it was a window into their soul.

If you wished to know your enemy or ally, you needed to know what their soul was like. Many things can be read in the eyes of a person, their feelings and movements, their likes and dislikes, their past and present. This was one of the many pieces of useful information she cared to remember about fighting and people.

The red headed boy was indeed demon, but also human, like the souls of both creatures were mixing in the one body. He looked calm and polite, but his eyes told of a warrior and great ally. Maybe this strange mixture of demon and human would prove a challenge? She could tell that this demon-human boy cared deeply for all he considered friends; he must be a Kitsune then. Kitsune see all things that are involved with them as theirs to protect and take care of. That would be his weakness, for if an opponent took hostage any such properties; he would do as bid to see to their safety.

The next was the orange-headed buffoon with brown eyes. He looked quite strong, but he lacked the knowledge of a skilled fighter. If he was trained and grew more brain cells, he may prove a formidable opponent. His great weakness is his stupidity; she was surprised an enemy hadn't thwarted him yet. Perhaps his allies kept him alive? She could tell that he hadn't gone through too much, not like the other two members of the team she had observed.

The last was the boy who was knocked out on the ground. She had studied him during their little 'spar'. He was indeed a great fighter, a warrior perhaps. She could tell that he had been through some pretty strange stuff; it looked as if nothing could surprise this boy anymore. His weakness was his emotions, he let anger rule over his fighting and thus she used it against him. It was the only way he would learn to concur his weakness and harness it into his strength.

Through her studies, some may get the impression that she was the perfect warrior. She knew otherwise however, she to had a weakness. Though her weakness remained blind to her, she knew that she to must have one.

Kagome's weakness was how she kept to herself.

Everyone knows that standing together as one is always better then standing alone. Kagome failed to see this, her only thought was to not let her heart be broken and not let emotions run her life.

The way she figured it, it was emotions that lead to the death and destruction of eight years ago. Her mother and father had fallen in love, a forbidden love, and for that they were punished. This led Kagome to believe that emotions only got a person into trouble, and thus forfeited them.

"She is studying us fox." Hiei stated, a little peeved that he was once again being sized up by this demon.

Yes, as soon as he seen her he recognized her as the damned woman child he met last night. While she fought, he watched, she was skilled, very skilled. This only proved his theory last night that she was a great warrior. He only wished he knew what type of demon she was, she constantly concealed her powers and thus one could not figure out who or what she was.

Kurama looked over at him, knowing that he did not like being sized up, "Calm yourself Hiei, she is only studying us for we pose as a possible threat to her. She seems very secretive." Kurama explained, trying to get Hiei to see reason.

All he got back was a, "Hn." from his friend; it was good enough for him though. 'Dark Angel, I wish I knew your real name.' Kurama thought as he watched the strong and mysterious girl closely. She was a puzzle, a puzzle he intended to solve.

Dark: Still not my chappies…

**Saiyanprincesscat:** I wanted to say thank you. I'm glad you think Spice of Inuyasha and my writing is good, god knows I suck but it's nice to hear someone other than me appreciating Spice of Inuyasha. (She is such a great author!) And as for darkness & darkness equals darkness that's not necessarily true. After all like in math, negative & negative equals positive ne? I'll try and explain the point to you (even though this is for fun) See, when you're bitter, or upset you would always choose a person that understands – that went through the same thing for comfort. Not many people would go to someone cheerful and preppy when their sad and depressed… follow me so far? Hiei and Kagome is an unusual couple I must admit (even though I've never watched Yu yu Hakusho) even I see that Hiei is dark and Kagome (in this fic) is too. Sango did lose everyone she did know, but remember, she was already an adult and she had friends like Miroku, Shippo, Inuyasha, Kirara and Kagome. Kagome in this story, however, was just a small child who witnessed her family, including her little baby brother killed by her uncle, she also had no one to support her, to help her through the pain. After all if you leave an injury, it might get infected. Kagome's hurt spread because she was alone. Also Sango is quite 'bitter' if you didn't notice. She did vow revenge and despises Naraku as much as possible. Yet you forgot (as I mentioned above) that she was already an adult who could fend for herself. Her friends also give her something to think of other than her family's death. Kagome, like I said, was a child, AND she was by herself. And it's not easy to bear your family's death, especially when you think you're one of the causes. Kagome is still the same person we all know and love, she's just buried under sadness, coldness and despair. She'll get better though . And for Hiei, I haven't seen even one of the episodes, but it's impossible to like nothing. So two bitter people could help heal each other. I hope all this rambling helps you understand what's going on in my mind (maybe even Spice of Inuyasha's) and helps you see the point clearer. And _blushes_ you really think I'm a good writer? Thankies! And you're right; Spice of Inu-yasha is a fantastic authoress. I'm kinda sad you don't like this plot line because I for one am positively enamored with it. I know you aren't a mean person. And I know that I can't write a _superduper_ fic, because I AM just thirteen (having turned it a two months ago. )I feel too sad for Hiei to leave him alone… even a loner deserves a chance.

**Animebishieluver:** Lol, thanks for thanking me. And I'll try my very best to make this fic the absolute best it can be. And thanks so much for putting this story on your favorite's list. _Happy face smilie_ I hope you stick with me the whole fic through.

**Forbidden Child:** Lol, it's just too bad I didn't think of this story… but spice of inu-yasha was kind enough to give it to me… oh go read her stories – if you think you like this one – you'll love them all! She's a fabulous writer. This chappie should have answered your question about Hiei huh? _Grins _I'll try…

**inuyasha1000000000:** Lol. I'm glad you like it! I hope this is a fast enough update…

**sapphiredragonchild:** This fast enough? Lol

**spice of Inu-Yasha:** I do not! You are the greatest! Boy, am I glad you're still reading my writing after Of Elves and Demon Mikos… (the first chapter really stunk in it huh?) Lol.


	3. Living in a shadow

Dark: Still not mine… Anyways! It's my birthday today! Also, Merry Christmas and have a happy new year!

Disclaimer: The prologue and the first two chapters are not mine. Spice of inu-yasha is the real authoress of these first few chapters. Also, I do not own Inuyasha… Santa betrayed me… he was supposed to give them to me this year…

**Dark Angel **

**Chapter two: Living in a Shadow**

The day went by slowly, Dark Angel proved to be quite the strange character. In every class she walked in late, not caring when the teacher yelled at her back. She simply ignored her and took her seat while waiting patiently for the teacher to begin.

Yusuke was pissed off about being beat in front of the whole gym class. He is after all, known for being the punk, the one to fear, not the one who had to be afraid. He was worried that if word about his defeat got out, he would lose his status.

Hiei continued constant watch of the mysterious youkai. He knew it was only a matter of time when her barrier would slip up because of emotion and he wanted to be there when it did. He was determined to learn everything he possibly could about this 'Dark Angel' character.

Kurama simply studied her and Hiei. They really did have a lot in common with one another. She liked black, as did he, and she kept to herself, what he did as well. He was a little shocked at how Hiei paid attention to every move she made; he never kept such close watch on someone before.

Kuwabara remained in la la land the whole day. He kept thinking about how he wished to ask 'Dark Angel' out or he had daydreams of Yukina. Every now and then a sentence would come out of his mouth, resulting in Yusuke knocking him out.

The one thing they all noticed however is that wherever 'Dark Angel' went, silence was followed. It was like her very presence was enough to scare everyone's voice away. They all would watch her, fear and awe shining brightly in each and every individual's eyes. The only bold enough to talk with her was the teachers, and even then they were often silenced with a single glare.

Certainly this 'Dark Angel' was not to be taken lightly. You could tell by the way she carried herself, and the effect she had on many if not all, the people she came into contact with. Her nickname did indeed fit her quite well, an angel of darkness, elegant with beauty, but deadly with venom.

She was a warrior of the night, a goddess of darkness. Everyone respected and feared her while her beauty awed them. The spirit detectives had never quite met a demon like her, and they all wondered if they ever would.

"Hiei, who do you think would win in a fight. Kuwabara or a nearly dead bunny?" Yusuke was up to it again, the teasing of poor Kuwabara. Hiei often had fun with this; he hated Kuwabara for the buffoon loved his sister.

"Hn, the nearly dead bunny of course." Hiei replied with a smirk, waiting for Kuwabara to process what they were talking about.

Kuwabara scratched his head in confusion before his face turned red with anger. "What was that shortie?" he questioned, glaring at the small ice-fire youkai while getting ready to lunge at him in attack.

Hiei simply snorted, not bothering to repeat himself to a 'lowly ningen'. If he was to deaf to hear a simple sentence that rarely escaped his lips, then he wasn't going to give him the pleasure of trying to hear it again.

Kuwabara lunged at the dark haired demon. Hiei simply dodged to the side like it was the easiest thing in the world before hitting Kuwabara hard on the head. The affect was a positive one to the group for Kuwabara was knocked unconscious.

The group continued their walk before they came to a field. It was deserted, no people played any sports or ran any marathons; it was completely deserted, silent like the birds even feared to speak. The only person they knew that could have an effect like this was Dark Angel, and sure enough there she sat in all her glory in the shade of a tree.

"What do you want?" she didn't even look at them, instead she kept her eyes staring straight ahead into the distance. It was like she was seeing something that no one else could.

Hiei and Yusuke were both annoyed. This demon was disrespecting them by not looking at them when talking. Hiei hid his annoyance however, but Yusuke looked ready to kill.

Seeing this, Kurama put a calming hand on Yusuke to prevent any fights from starting. The last thing they needed was having some demon they held no information on as an enemy.

Yusuke glared at Kurama, before settling down enough to talk a tad bit calmly to the unknown youkai, "We came to talk with you of course." He stated like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

'Dark Angel' simply continued to stare at something that none of them could see. Silently telling them to continue while Kurama held Yusuke back from attacking.

Hiei's eyes lowered into a glare as he stared at the shaded form of 'Dark Angel'. 'This onna is getting annoying. She is plotting things.' Was the angered thought of Hiei as he continued to glare at the offending youkai.

"We wanted to know what your actions are here." Stated Kurama before one of his teammates could say anything rude. Kuwabara was still knocked out from Hiei's punch to the head, which he was silently thankful for.

She looked to them for the first time, her eyes a mix of red and blue. Everyone silently let out a small gasp at what they saw, her eyes held a cold look, like her soul was killed, more so then Hiei's.

"I simply wish to live here in peace, is that so bad?" 'Dark Angel' asked them, a hint of pleading in her voice that if you listened closely enough, you could hear.

She waited patiently for them to answer, she had now figured out why they were here. They were here for her, to see if she was a threat to the human world, they wanted to take her away. She figured out they were the famous 'spirit detectives' that she heard so many demons grumbling about. She didn't care though; she cared for nothing.

"Oh." Was the oh-so brilliant reply of Yusuke, as he stood there awkwardly rubbing the back of his neck. He never heard a demon tell him that before, usually they didn't bother with an answer and tried to rip his head off.

"Uh…" He was still at loss for words, not really knowing what to do. The others seemed to be as well, he wasn't so sure about Hiei though.

"Well, I will take my leave, bug me and die." With that, she was gone in the blink of an eye. It was freaky; she was like a girl version of Hiei. They both held the look of an outsider rejected by society. 'What happened to you Dark Angel?' he pondered sadly to himself.

/------/

The day went by remarkably fast, it seemed that the strange group of demons and humans were in her every class. How fortunate for her…every one of them watched her like a hawk, preparing to strike in a moments notice if she got 'out of hand.' It was damn annoying.

Sighing, she headed out to go to her 'home', if you could call it that. A small run down apartment wasn't much of a home in her opinion but what can you do? It's not like she stayed in the apartment much anyways, she was to busy training. It was more of a place for rejuvenation.

Kagome opened the fridge door and began searching for something to eat. To her dismay she needed to go and do the cursed 'grocery shopping'. She had no food left; she always left it until she had absolutely nothing to eat before she would go and buy some more. She hated 'grocery shopping' so very much.

Walking back out the apartment, Kagome felt a familiar aura near. 'So, it is the demon from last night, and from my school. What could he possibly want now?' she thought annoyed as she continued her routine, trying to ignore the persistent demon.

No such luck though, apparently he hated being ignored for he dropped down right in front of her. "What do you want?" Kagome asked irritably, she didn't even flinch when he suddenly drew his sword and made to strike her. She simply dodged to the side and gripped his arm very tightly, twisting it slightly.

"State your business before I break your arm right here and now for attacking me." Kagome hissed quietly into his ear, venom leaking in each word. He was having none of that though. Getting his arm out of her grip, he attacked her again.

Kagome dodged to the side, getting sick of always sparing with wannabe demons. Sure, she knew he was strong, but hell it was annoying to always battle people because they want to be the strongest. She knew what he wanted now; he wanted to prove to himself and her that he was the strongest and not to boss him around. Demon pride, that's all it was.

Flipping behind his attack, Kagome pulled out her own sword and held it to his throat. He elbowed her in the gut however, causing her to loosen her grip and allowing him to escape. Wasting no time, he charged her, his emotionless mask set in place.

The two clashed sword with sword, each looking at the other with poison. They broke apart, jumping into the air and landing gracefully on the ground. With no words said, they charged at the same time. They both punched each other in the face, sending them both flying to the ground.

Quickly Hiei and Kagome got up, contemplating their next move. Hiei attacked with one of the things he was known for, his speed. Surely no demon could compare to his super human speed, he would get an advantage.

Faster then lightning, he attacked, sword drawn. Kagome simply looked at him schooling her facial expression. Getting into a battle stance, Kagome held her sword drawn prepared to block. Hiei appeared behind her ready to strike but before he could, Kagome turned around and met his blade with her own.

"Hn." Was all Hiei could say, he was displeased, she was stronger then he had originally thought. Taking no further time to stare into her endless orbs, he attacked again, sweeping his leg under hers.

Kagome was tripped; she cursed herself for being so blind. Quickly she regained herself by doing a flip on her hands and landing on her feet before jumping off and attacking. Hiei simply smirked at her. She was a challenge – something he hadn't had in a very long time.

He sped at her again, she blocked again. Punch, kick, duck, dodge, block, attack, that's all they did for what seemed like a long time, each set with a determined face but both slowly wearing down.

Panting slightly, they looked at the other, satisfied with the challenge laid out before them. They had both been waiting for some kind of good fight to come up, and they met their match in each other.

"Hn, you did good." Hiei stated before leaving, satisfied with the shocked and confused aura he felt from the strange demon.

"What the hell?" Kagome asked a moment later as she finally stopped staring at the spot that her great fighting partner had been only moments before. She was confused, wasn't he here to prove himself to her? Or was it the other way around? Was he…testing her? She hated not knowing her own opponents motives and cursed silently.

Slowly she made her way towards the store, deciding to forget about the cute demon in black and his strange ways. She would figure him out eventually, she always did, it was her thing. She took it to notion that she knew every little bit about a possible threat that came into her life before removing it or determining if it was fully a threat. She survived that way.

After her groceries were bought, Kagome headed to her training grounds, determined to become stronger so she could beat the strange demon Hiei in a battle. He had sparked something in her, telling her to live and move on so she could beat him.

Beating Hiei in a match became her new goal in life, the only thing that kept her living. It was strange, a guy who simple proved a great challenge in a fight saved her from herself, and he was just as cold as she was. Kagome secretly hoped she helped him in the same way.

Soon night came, Kagome explode the city looking for a fight like she always did. She was bored.

Silently she cursed when her evil feet lead her to a spot she rather forget, a spot where she had made one friend, only to lose them in the same spot they met. Together they had made a song, a song that fit both of their lives perfectly. It was her favorite and most cherished song, but she hadn't sung it since her friend died.

I was seven years old

When my parents went away  
I am stuck inside a broken life  
I couldn't wish away  
Life is horrible  
I don't have anything anymore  
And my escape was hiding out and running for the door

Somebody listen please  
It is just so hard being me  
Living in the shadow  
Of someone else's dream  
Trying to find a hand to hold but every touch feels cold to me  
Living in a nightmare  
A never-ending sleep  
Even though I am wide awake  
My chains are never free  
But please don't feel sorry for me

All the days collided  
One less perfect than the next  
I am stuck inside someone else's life and always second best  
Oh, I hate the world 'cause now I realize  
That it's never safe to come alive

So if you're listening  
There's so much more to me you haven't seen  
Living in the shadow  
Of someone else's dream  
Trying to find a hand to hold but every touch feels cold to me  
Living in a nightmare  
A never-ending sleep  
Even though I am wide awake  
I can never be  
Please don't feel sorry-

Mother, brother, father  
Even though nothing's cool now  
Mother, brother, father  
I still go on livin in a shadow  
Oh, my life is dark and not good  
But I don't care that I got more than anyone should  
Oh, my life is dark and the past is the past

But that's how I will always last

I am living in a shadow

Of someone else's dream  
Trying to find a hand to hold but every touch feels cold to me  
I'm living in a new day  
I'm living it for me  
Even though I am wide awake  
I can never be  
Pleae don't feel sorry for me  
Don't feel sorry, don't feel sorry for me

(A/N: remember, it was modified to fit the characters life but it's still sung and made up by Ashlee Simpson.)

That was the song they made together. Surprisingly it fit both of their lives, even if she was just human. The words in the song held different meanings to each of them. Sighing, Kagome continued on her way, a lost soul in the sea of people.

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**This is spice of inu-yasha's original ps:** Ok, I know that was really really short! I promise the next one will be much longer! I kinda had trouble writting this chapter because it kind of died off. I'm sure you know what I mean...Sorry for the long up-date, I'll try to be faster but I have a lot of stories to work on as well! Well, Ja ne!

Dark: Merry Christmas! And have a happy new year! (Also, I didn't get around to editing this page… lol!)

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Review Response:

As I'm not sure I am allowed to responded to my reviewers in this way (they made a new 'reply' thing) I'll hold off, and list them all in my livejournal later on…


	4. Chapter 3

**Dark**: Bet you weren't expecting to hear from me in... well... ever! To that I say HA!... Because well... I wasn't either. It wasn't until two nights ago that I really had an urge to pick this up again. I have to admit, I had written this chapter (or at least the beginning of it) over and over these past five years. Each time, I got frustrated with how I'd get stuck and give up, squirreling the story away for months at a time. Well, I kept you guys from it long enough... don't even know if any of you remember this story, but this chapter is dedicated to those of you who followed it even after I let it sit for so long. Despite my sarcastic silliness, I really do love and appreciate you guys, and I am extremely sorry for taking so long.

Disclaimer: I do not own the first three chapters, Inuyasha, or Yu Yu Hakusho. As a poor post-secondary student mooching off her parents, all I have is my awesome ability to ninja my little brother's hoodies.

* * *

Crimson orbs gleamed wickedly at her through the black mass that was its form, a deranged looking grin stretching what could have been lips, but Ms. Harada couldn't be too certain with the deformed monster before her. Its head was nearly severed clean from its body which was suspended from the ground by the massive spike that protruded from its chest. Above it the words "Harada-sensei" was scrawled, next to another set of words that said "Tsudo, Amanatsu."

Yura Harada couldn't help her eyes from rolling upwards at the drying canvass before her. Amanatsu was not the first student she had ever had who attempted to paint or draw demented images of death and gore. Nearly two decades of teaching teenage boys easily desensitized her to grotesque images that would have made another person cringe upon a fleeting glance. Still, she thought amusedly, the painting deserved at least a pass. If she squinted, she could almost see the painted image of Amanatsu tucked behind the foot of the beast, wielding a sword triumphantly. The kid, for all his pranks and complaints, was a decent artist.

Sadly, the same could not be said of too many of her other students. Reluctantly, Yura gently placed the painting back onto the counter and moved on to inspect the next piece – and promptly felt a chill like none other race down her spine.

Colourless eyes bore into her soul, flecks of black reflecting the dim lighting of the florescent lights hanging above in the empty classroom. Instead of making the eyes softer, warmer, they served only to make them harsher and merciless. Ruthless lines creased around the eyes, framing high, proud cheekbones attached to a cruel mouth. Suddenly it twisted into a cold smirk, and the lifelike eyes narrowed dangerously. Two translucent arms lurched out of the frame to wrap itself tightly around her neck and a scream lodged in her throat as the picture seemed to move towards her, gripping her wrists and wrenching her closer to –

The door clicked open and Harada broke away from her trance, scrambling backwards, gasping for air like a mad woman starved of air. The painting sat perched innocently on the counter but she dared not look at it. How could she when she was still trembling to the point where each breath she took sounded like a death rattle?

"Harada-sensei?"

She gave a keen wail and drew her legs to her knees, her arms coming round to cushion her head as she sobbed violently into her sleeves. In her panicked state, she did not even register her flustered and bewildered colleague who hesitantly placed an uncertain arm around her shoulders. She didn't even notice when she forwent her sleeves and used him to soak up her cries. She couldn't quite even understand why it was that she was so frightened or why she collapsed into sobs. All she knew was that she never, ever wanted to see that face ever again.

And on the sill the unfinished portrait sat unmoving, resting quietly before a small, almost negligible slip of paper on which only two words were penned: Beloved Uncle.

* * *

It was almost peaceful. The sun felt warm against her skin, and she leaned back minutely into the bark of the tree she rested against. It wasn't a stiflingly hot day, despite the cloudless sky. On the contrary, it was touched with the perfect breeze of spring. Basking in the warm light of the sun, surrounded by soft grass, and hidden under cool shade, anybody else would have gone slack with relaxation. Even she, once upon a time, would have been lost to the world. It irked her that she couldn't anymore.

Agitated, Kagome fluidly rose from her seated position onto the balls of her toes, unable to stomach the idea of lounging around when the hairs on her arms and neck were standing on end. It wasn't as though she didn't know why she was so on edge. She did. It was almost in-your-face obvious. It was also pint-sized, unrelenting, and ruthless with a sword.

Kagome fought hard to contain a groan of frustration, and fought even harder against the stupidly persistent urge to just bury her face into her palms. It had been fourteen days, twelve hours and eighteen minutes since the impromptu encounter with the miniature 'Spirit Detective.' Only fourteen and a half days to her seventy _years_ of living. And yet never had she felt time pass so slowly. Each second lasted an hour, with a terribly slow crawl that reminded her of a gutted demon dragging itself across glass shards. Each tick of a clock hand was followed by an inadvertent twitch on her end. Paranoia was setting in, establishing habits she knew would haunt her for the rest of her life, but much as she hated to admit it, it wasn't as though she could control it.

Being aware of everything was something she had picked up on when she had been a child. You could never let your guard down for anything; it was a cold truth, a harsh lesson that went hand in hand with "never trust anyone". It was a lesson that served her well over the years.

However, there was a stark difference between being mindful of your surroundings and whipping around at every flicker of shadow, bracing your back against the corner of an already tiny apartment through the nights, never sleeping and always tense.

Even as she carefully blanked her face, schooling her expression to show nothing, Kagome inwardly groused and grumbled. Demon blood flowing through her veins as it was, she needed less sleep than a lowly human. That was to be expected. But she needed more sleep than an average demon. She wasn't exactly sure why. Either way, frayed by the lack of sleep and ran ragged by her rumbling emotions, Kagome was one shove away from the edge.

Oh, at first it was a blessing. In her monotonous, meaningless, life, the unusual detective gave her something to look forward to: a purpose, a goal. Call it what you will, it was almost comforting to have something concrete to hold onto when at times, Kagome could hardly answer why she kept fighting to live. There was, after all, no point for her continued existence. She had already exacted revenge for her family, already wiped off the scum from the surface of the Earth. She saw no reason why she couldn't simply fade from existence. But it never happened. She never let it happen. So, it was, indeed, somewhat of a relief to regain a reason to continue on. Even if the reason was stupid and simple. So it was a blessing.

Or so she thought.

It had only been fourteen days since her initial contact with the odd group that had transferred into her district. It wasn't as though it were a long period of time. So it was almost bewildering how she had found herself under attack not once, or twice, or even fourteen, but rather twenty-two times over the week. Bewildering, and absolutely ridiculous.

It got to the point where Kagome had to make a small incision in her clothes to tuck away daggers for school, everywhere else, she lugged around her lengthy katana, hidden in the depths of her jackets. Regardless of where she was, at school, or resting at her apartment, he would come for her at all hours of the time, with little warning.

For the first couple of fights, she enjoyed herself, meeting his sudden offense with the cold steel of her own blade without so much as a blink. It wasn't until the fifth or sixth fight that the first little crumb of the thrill of the adrenaline speeding through her system ebbed away into a slight pang of irritation. By the tenth battle, Kagome felt nothing more than frustration and exhaustion. It was almost a chore.

At the sound of a branch snapping, Kagome pivoted on her heel, the rough binding on her katana's hilt digging into her cold palms as she pointed it at the direction of the sound. There was nothing there. Nothing but trees and thick foliage. She shoved her sword back into the sheath with just a little more force than necessary, her jaw clenched. She stood there for a moment, gazing into the shadows of the trees, her shoulders stiff and her back straight, looking as though she were trying to set the scene on fire with her eyes alone.

Then, she let out a long breath, her shoulders slumping forward. Without bothering to scan the whole area, Kagome hid away her weapon with two practiced motions of her hands, and walked away from the quiet meadow, heading northwest.

Though she was on the bare outskirts of the city, right on the border of the concrete settlements the humans constructed, and the grassy forest situated right beside the overgrown grey village, Kagome continued walking along the grass, weaving easily through the bushes and branches that packed the area instead of taking the road parallel to her path. Whether she was following the path, or the path was following her, it was hard to tell until she came to a stop at a relatively hidden intersection where the black asphalt of the road relented to that of the brown dirt of the Earth. With a swift sweep of the area with her eyes, her ears perked for any sounded, Kagome took off at a dead sprint, slightly deeper into the forest, dodging the outstretched arms of the greenery that seemed to reach for her.

She fumbled with the cord binding her katana to her side, releasing the knot right and dropping the weapon as she broke through the thick lining of trees, into a second meadow, but entirely different from the last one. The area was an unnaturally perfect circle, as though it were created at the hands of a being other than nature, and though both grass and flowers grew, there were no signs of weeds or seeds of the nearby trees, only a small, beautiful stone in the middle of the scene.

With unsteady, hesitant steps, Kagome walked towards it, her eyes softening yet hardening with each step she took, until she was a mere foot away from the silent thing. She slowly crouched before it, conflicted eyes gazing at the smooth surface of the object before she raised a trembling arm to copy their path, sliding along the strokes carved with painstaking care that marred the otherwise plain exterior.

At the final stroke, Kagome let her hand fall onto her knee. There was a long period of silence. She didn't move from her spot. Nor did she move to touch the stone again. Finally, she spoke.

"Hey," She said softly. "I'm here again."

She waited, as though the stone would respond to her in her pause. When it didn't, she continued.

"I wasn't going to come again. I know, you'd probably smack me for leaving you alone for so long, but you understand. I know you do."

Kagome took another moment to collect her thoughts, struggling to maintain her taut hold on her raging emotions.

Then quietly, "How are you? You're doing well right?" She exhaled, raising her eyes to the still clear blue sky hanging overhead before dropping it back down.

"I miss you, you know. I'd come and visit more often but as much as I love being here with you, I hate it. I hate talking to you like this, not knowing if you'd ever hear me. Never getting a single sound for a reply." She closed her eyes, willing herself to steady her shaking voice. When she opened them again, the turbulence in them seemed to be smoothed over, the red over taking the blue.

"I was here two weeks ago. Do you remember that? No, I guess not. I didn't stop to say hi like I should have. I'm sorry. I didn't even mean to come, then but somehow, even though I try to pick up my life and move on, I can't. Not without you here to drag me along." Kagome could almost see a disapproving frown on a distorted, but pretty face, and it made her smile the first true smile in a little over half a decade. It soon melted back into the neutral lining of her lips as she continued.

"Four new guys came. There's one with orange hair. Orange. Obviously a human. I honestly don't understand your race sometimes. Orange. He's not particularly bright, it seems, but sometimes I prefer him over his companion. I mean his human companion. He's rash and arrogant," a frown tugged on the corners of her lips as she tried recalling the dark haired human, "Sometimes, I get this odd feeling in my abdomen when he acts like an overconfident, conceited moron. It's so familiar that all I can do is look away. And I don't know why. The only person I cared for was you, and you were nothing like him."

She rested her head against her arms, and continued. "The other two are demons. At least I think the red-headed one's a demon. At times I would swear on my soul that he was. A kitsune at that. But then, he," she furrowed her brows, searching for the right word, "_flickers_. And then all I see is a human. He's not hanyou. He's a demon. But he's a human. Both and neither at the same time. I don't quite understand it. I've never seen anything like it. He confuses me. But not nearly as much as his friend."

A scowl darkened her features. "I don't even know what to say about the last one. I thought he would replace you and give my life meaning, a cause to go on. But I should have known better. No one can replace you. And even if he could, he's not trying to keep me going. I swear he's trying to stuff me into a box to ship off to hell himself with the way he's going." The scowl deepened.

"I know I'm a youkai, but even I have limits! I haven't had sleep in over two weeks. I'm jumpy and paranoid, and waving my swords around in broad daylight. I'm not like him. I don't have teammates at my back or at my sides. I don't have endless amounts of energy to fuel me. I'm alone and I'm tired." She sagged a bit as though admitting to her tiredness made her aware of how exhausted she truly was.

"I'm tired," she repeated, staring at the stone again, "and I'm alone."

She remained crouched there, long after the silence ate her words, and long after her muscles began to cramp, despite her superior advantage of being not-quite human. She stayed until the sun gave way to the aloof moon, and the cold warmth disappeared into the chill of the night.

When she rose to stand, her face betrayed nothing, once more schooled into a rigid mask of boredom and indifference, revealing nothing about the muscles in her legs that felt like someone had jabbed a dull fork into the flesh and was pulling apart each strand of muscle tissue like the concoction humans called string cheese. Only her blue eyes, soft and gentle as they once more outlined the last two characters etched carefully into the stone, were left untouched by the cool countenance she bore like a badge. She closed them as she turned and began to walk to retrieve her discarded katana. When she opened them again, the red once more dominated the blue, swirling in the unreadable depth.

Without bothering to tie her weapon back onto her waist, Kagome navigated her way out of the place that was her secret sanctuary and personal hellhole, never once looking back until she was far, far into the hard, grey arms of the city.

She never saw the small black figure who easily leaped down from his perch on a tree downwind of where she had sat for hours. She never saw him stride up to the precious stone in swift, assured steps, or saw him settle before it in the warmth she had left behind, inspecting the words carved gently into the surface with contemplating red eyes.

Recalling the odd light that had gentled the woman's eyes as she bent down and ran her fingers across the indents of the stone, he grudgingly studied the inanimate thing before him, wondering what about it could invoke such a reaction. He had watched her, when he hadn't been locked in a battle with her, for hours a day now. He had done this for two weeks, and the most, he had seen of her reactions was when her lips dipped into the tiniest of frowns and her brows knit ever so slightly. It was such a small reaction that if he hadn't been so intent in his silent study of her, he would have waved it off as simply an illusion of light. It was almost strange, how little she showed.

It was nearly as though she had secreted away her emotions, or buried them like he had.

He had almost thought she was incapable of emotions.

An image of her expressive features flickered through his unwilling mind again, dredging up the unfamiliar sensation of clenching he felt in his chest area. It wasn't as though she were so beautiful that she stole his breath away. She was above average in appearance, but unable to hold even a dying candle next to the sensual features of certain animal youkai. Her colouring, exotic in the eyes of a human, was normal in the realm of demons. No, she wasn't breathtakingly gorgeous. Not that anything foolish like that could hope to affect him.

She was pretty at most. She wasn't beautiful. Not until she entered this clearing, eyes focused only on the same stone that sat in front of him now. It was at that moment that his body froze.

It was as though by crossing the threshold of trees, her soul had been replaced with another, her guarded visage gentling into soft features that he had thought sharp and hard. She didn't even hear him when he shifted from tree to tree to get closer to her; all she saw was this lifeless thing.

He could still see the sunlight bathing the stone, reflecting onto her face at times when she moved, could still hear her voice rise and lower in such a diverse range, he didn't think it was possible for a demon to slip from one emotion to the other and back again as quickly as naturally as she did. He could still see the wavering arm as it stretched forward to caress the strokes carved into stone. She never wavered, not even the first night he attacked her in her own cramped apartment. His ruby eyes narrowed. And yet she would falter in front of a meaningless piece of rock.

Still seeing her shaky arm reach for the grey of the stone in his minds eye, he never noticed raising his own to mimic her carefully tender actions, until the coldness of the rock seeped into the tips of his fingers. He meant to move away, even as his energy flared in automatic response to warm him, but as he moved, his hand brushed against the imperfections of the rock and he remembered how vulnerable she looked, scrunched up and staring only at this lump in front of him.

He traced the path of her fingers with his own, as though by doing so he could force the rock to admit to him why the woman had been so different, his hands holding none of the gentleness or care that he saw her use. There was only a rough force behind his hands as it moved against the smooth edge of the words, almost like by force alone he could demand the rock to explain itself.

It, however, did no such thing, just sat there, half buried in the ground, cold and unmoving.

His finger stopped, mid-word and he stood, crossing his arms as he looked down on the thing that had captured the woman's attention for so long and had captured it so thoroughly that she never even noticed his arrival. No matter how he shifted, or positioned himself at a different angle, he saw nothing interesting, nothing of use.

"Hn. Foolish Onna." The evening wind breezed by him in agreement.

He gave one last sweep of the eyes across the stone, unsurprisingly – but somehow disappointingly – finding nothing before he finally turned away and left, leaving the stone alone in the cloak of the night.

It was a uselessly simple monument, with only four words of no meaning etched into it:

_Friend and Sister,_

_Sango_

* * *

**Dark: **So I meant to make this chapter longer, since it's mostly a filler for technical stuff like plot... and other such useless things. I didn't get to put in much fluff in here, which stinks like a sandwich stowed away in the guy's gym locker over spring break (which I hear really smells... the whole thing I mean. Not just the guy's gym locker.) But I didn't for two reasons. One, I like the ending. Two, I wanted to post this up as soon as possible.

Technically speaking, I should have spent the seven hours I spent writing this on finishing reading Othello, since I have a lovely discussion group meeting tomorrow... uh oh. I shall use that as my very viable excuse for not editing this thoroughly before posting it. Eh, I'll come back and edit it later on. Hopefully.

I've been deprived of reviews for a good many years guys, take pity on me, and bombard me with them.

Oh, and I should make a note, this is the first chapter in the story that is mine and not spice-of-inuyasha's. Hope I did her justice. And if not, well... I'll just have to work on that... somehow.


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